Director Morgan Spurlock of TriStar Pictures' One Direction: This Is Us.

Director Morgan Spurlock of TriStar Pictures' One Direction: This Is Us.

Photo: John Russo

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Director Morgan Spurlock of TriStar Pictures' One Direction: This Is Us.

Director Morgan Spurlock of TriStar Pictures' One Direction: This Is Us.

Photo: John Russo

All eyes on world's biggest boy band

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Morgan Spurlock answers the obvious question with a question. Several, in fact.

What is the man behind critically acclaimed documentaries "Super Size Me," "Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?" and "The Greatest Movie Ever Sold" doing at the helm of a glitzy concert film about boy band One Direction?

"'Why would I not want to direct this movie? Why would I not want to direct a film that's being made by one of the biggest studios in Hollywood?" he says.

"Why would I not want to make a film about one of the biggest bands in the world right now who are continuing to explode as a global phenomenon? Why would I not want to make a film in 3-D with a budget bigger than any documentary filmmaker usually ever gets to work with?

"Why would you not want to make a film that's going to open in more cities and more countries and be seen by more people than all of my films combined?"

Fair enough. "One Direction: This Is Us" opens Friday on more than 2,500 screens and chronicles the breakneck rise to fame of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. The group was assembled during the seventh season of the British version of "The X Factor," where they finished in third place. Since then, One Direction has shattered records, sold out stadiums and incited full-on hysteria. A sold-out July show at Toyota Center was among the liveliest and loudest in recent memory.

Parents, be prepared: Your daughter, and maybe even your son, will beg to see this film. Lines will be long. Screams will be loud. Tears will be likely. (It's rated PG for "mild language" and is suitable for even the smallest Directioners.)

"There are always just people screaming, yelling, waiting. It's insane," Spurlock says. "The minute these guys walk outside, there are fans. There might be five, then suddenly they start tweeting, and there's 1,000.

"The maneuverability around a band like this is difficult. You're constantly having to figure out logistics of what you're going to shoot, how we're going to shoot, where we're going to be able to have intimate moments where we aren't going to be interrupted by cheery fans."

At its best, "This Is Us" captures the frenetic energy of top-tier stardom, the tear-stained mix of panic and pleasure that marks every move they make. During one memorable scene, the boys decide to take to the streets and see the sights on a rare day off. Within minutes, they're recognized by female fans and eventually are barricaded inside a small store. Girls press against the windows, snapping photos and making pleas. Burly security guards have to push them through the crowd and into a getaway car.

Spurlock was approached about directing similar projects for Justin Bieber and Katy Perry before agreeing to take on 1D. He calls them "the anti-boy-band boy band." In many ways, that's an accurate assessment. 1D is a boy band, to be sure, but the members stop short of matching outfits and cheesy dance routines. And though the music is firmly rooted in pop, it's infused with old-school rock and a slight sense of mischief.

The guys also are seen playing pranks on each other and their crew throughout the film. It balances the larger-than-life concert sequences with a sense of adolescent normalcy.

"You go into a movie like this, and you're like, 'One of these guys has to be a super-diva: There are no green M&Ms in here! How dare you not press my shirt! Stop looking me in the eye!' It wasn't the case," Spurlock says. "All five of these guys, in the midst of all of this craziness and insanity, have remained immensely normal. They have stayed so grounded. They have stayed so humble in light of this massive success."

"This Is Us" also captures the flipside of fame in a few unexpectedly poignant scenes. The guys are seen quietly sharing stories during fishing and camping trips. Malik buys a house for his overjoyed family but can only share the experience over the phone; he's in a different country. Teary mothers who haven't seen their sons in months have to make do with life-size cardboard cutouts.

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And though the film doesn't open until Friday, Spurlock already has been swept up in the 1D wave, adopted by Directioners (fans of the group) as a member of the family.